Who Votes for Dynastic Candidates? Philippine Senatorial Elections

Much has been written about the prevalence of dynasties in Philippine politics. Some believe that dynasties are endemic to the system, borne of a history of feudalism and patronage from which the citizenry is hard-pressed to break away. The assumption is that dynasties are bad for a democratic society, and that having many political dynasties in a system undermines good governance. This assumption is sometimes debated, but the majority of published work takes the view that dynasties are problems that need to be solved. The scale of dynastic rule in the country’s local offices is staggering, with as much as 66% of mayoral and 85% of gubernatorial positions occupied by members of deeply entrenched political families (Mendoza et al., this volume). According to analysis done in 2004, more than 60% of all legislators elected since 1986 are members of political clans (Coronel et al., 2004). This trend is increasingly mirrored in national-level elections. The current 24 senators in the 16th Congress include two sets of siblings, three sons of former presidents, the daughter of the vice president, eight children of former senators, and the wife of a former senator. Such is the situation, despite the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines’ express statement that “The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”…